Life-changing SELF-CARE HABITS for Highly Sensitive People

This post is especially close to my heart. If you’ve ever felt like the world is just too much sometimes… too loud, too busy, too overwhelming, too fast… this one’s for you.

I’m going to be sharing 10 important self-care habits for Highly Sensitive People, and no, this isn’t gonna be just another list of “take a bubble bath” and “light a candle” kind of advice (though they can be super helpful and I might mention them among other things). 

These are a set of habits that support your mind, body, and emotional health, especially on those overstimulating, high-anxiety days when you just want to hide under a blanket and disappear.

What is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)?

Roughly 15 to 20% of people are what researchers call highly sensitive. This isn’t a flaw. It’s not about being “too emotional” or “too dramatic.” It’s actually a difference in how our nervous system is wired. 

We process stimuli more deeply. We notice more. We feel more. And we care a lot.

It also means we have incredible gifts such as deep empathy, strong intuition, creativity, insightfulness… But, as you probably know, it can come with the downside of getting overwhelmed quickly.

So if you’re someone who needs more quiet time, who gets overstimulated in crowded places, or who cries over random things and doesn’t really know why, there’s nothing inherently wrong with you. 

You’re just a slightly different breed than the rest that comes with its own strengths and gifts.

And even if you don’t fully identify as an HSP, I promise these habits can still help you feel better, especially on those low-energy days.

By the way, this post is partly inspired by the amazing book The Highly Sensitive Person by Dr. Elaine Aron (if you haven’t read it, make you do), and partly just from my own personal experiences of being… well, highly sensitive. 

I’ll leave the book linked below if you want to check it out:

• The Highly Sensitive Person by Dr. Elaine Aron 

Alright, let’s get into the first self-care habit.

1. Retreat and Recover

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the noise, people, or chaos of the day that you just had to disappear for a bit?

Same. 

According to Dr. Aron’s HSP self-test, if you often feel the need to withdraw into a dark room, curl up in bed, or just shut yourself off from the world, that’s your nervous system saying: “Please, I need a break.”

For me, it looks like closing the bedroom door, turning off the lights, sipping tea, and reading a book. 

That’s not laziness. That’s recovery. And it works. 

We may get overstimulated easily, but the good thing is that we recover really well when we give ourselves the time and space.

Even when you’re working in an office, you can sneak off to the bathroom, not because you need it, but because it is the only quiet place where you can breathe for five minutes.

Give yourself permission to retreat. That is sacred self-care.

2. Healing Showers and Baths

There is something magical about water. Honestly, if I could bottle the feeling of a warm (or cold) shower washing away my stress, I would.

Whether it’s walking by a pond/lake/beach, drinking cool water when you’re overwhelmed, or taking a hot shower just to let yourself exhale, water soothes the nervous system. 

There’s even science behind it. Warm water can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing your heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and triggering calm.

Sometimes, I take showers where I’m not “getting stuff done.” I’m not necessarily washing my hair or scrubbing my body, I’m just being under the water, letting the water flow through me.

Try that next time. It’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to reset.

3. Gentle and Joyful Movement

Let me just say this, not all movement has to be intense. It doesn’t have to be loud or sweaty or punishing.

In fact, for HSPs, that kind of exercise can be the exact opposite of helpful. You push yourself too hard, and it takes days to recover. That used to be me.

But later, I discovered that movement could actually feel good when done gently and joyfully.

In recent years, we have been advertised by fitness influencers to “go hard” in the gym or “push our bodies to the limit”, which is not always healthy and can at times come from the place of insecurities and body dysmorphia. 

It’s fine and beneficial to push yourself from time to time, but gentle, easy movement is equally as important and effective to keep your mind and body, and there should be a balance between both of these types of physical movement. 

You don’t have to obliterate your muscles to failure every time you hit the gym. And you don’t necessarily have to limit your “exercise” or “movement” to the gym either.

You can take walks in nature, do slow yoga, stretch, and follow simple workouts that feel fun. Nothing that depletes you, only what replenishes you.

Exercise can lower stress hormones, build resilience, and give you a sense of emotional strength. But always remember to listen to your body, and work with it, not against it.

4. Declutter Your Space, Declutter Your Mind

If your environment is chaotic, your brain probably feels the same way.

HSPs are naturally more responsive to their surroundings. We notice clutter. We feel the tension in a messy room. That’s why I started decluttering before I even knew what minimalism was.

Back then, I just knew I needed a space that felt calm, quiet, and safe. 

And now creating a peaceful home environment is a non-negotiable part of my self-care.

Start with one small area. Create a “calm corner” where you can retreat. Fill it with things that soothe you such as soft lighting, a comfy blanket, and calming scents. 

It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect. It just has to feel right for you. (btw if you want some inspiration for a cozy nook, I have a post on 10 Cozy Reading Nook Ideas)

5. Self-Kangaroo Care (Yes, It’s a Thing)

This one sounds strange at first… but stay with me.

You know that deep, comforting feeling when you hug yourself? Or when you gently rub your own arm or cheek? That’s self-regulation and it’s actually based on something called kangaroo care which is used for newborn babies. 

It’s basically skin-to-skin contact that promotes bonding and calm.

You can do this with yourself. Sit on the floor. Breathe. Place your hands on your chest or gently hold your own arms. Be with your body, not to fix it or change it, but just to be with it.

This kind of self-touch, grounded breathing and presence pulls you out of your overthinking head and back into your body where there’s peace and love.

Related: The Ultimate Bedtime Self-Care Routine 

6. Learn to Identify and Communicate Your Needs

One of the hardest things for highly sensitive people is asking for help.

We don’t want to bother anyone. We feel guilty for needing rest. We worry we’ll seem “too much.” 

But the truth is—if we don’t voice our needs, no one will know how to support us.

Whether it’s asking for quieter lighting, more alone time, or help with chores, it’s okay to advocate for what you need. 

And boundaries? Oh, they matter so much, and you need to learn how to identify and set them. You can read my Guide to Identifying Your Personal Boundaries.

I know it’s hard, especially if you hate conflict. But setting boundaries isn’t really about being mean or selfish, you are just trying to protect your peace and mental/emotional well-being.

7. Schedule white space into your day

Let me ask you something, do you ever get to the end of the day and feel completely fried, even if you didn’t do that much? 

That’s the HSP nervous system at work. 

We’re not just reacting to what we do, we’re also reacting to what we feel, what we see, what we hear, and what’s happening around us.

This is why scheduling white space into your day is essential, not a luxury, not optional. 

I’m talking about empty pockets of time where you’re not doing anything, not consuming anything, not solving any problems. Just being.

That could mean ten minutes after lunch where you sit and stare out the window. Or a half hour in the evening where you lie on the couch without your phone. 

And no, this isn’t laziness or being sluggish, you are intentionally allowing your nervous system the slow its pace and catch a breath.

Even now, I try not to book meetings with people or errands back to back. I need buffers in between. That space is where we recover, and when we build it in, everything else becomes so much easier to handle.

8. Create sensory rituals

Okay, here’s one that’s a little fun and a little science-y. 

HSPs tend to have heightened sensory perception, so let’s use that to our advantage.

 Create rituals around your senses by using soft textures, calming scents, gentle lighting, or grounding sounds.

For me, diming the lighting in my bedroom in the evening, making a cup of herbal tea, and getting inside a soft throw blanket is what feels like therapy.

Even in the morning, I love starting the day slow with morning fajr prayers, spending some time reflecting and talking to God, feeling gratitude for His blessings and asking for his help. 

Putting on clothes that feel good on the skin, having a relaxing breakfast, reading a book, or writing in a journal, these small things can signal safety and calm to our nervous system.

Of course, to be able to do this in the morning, it’s important to have a good sleep schedule so you can wake up early enough to allow yourself this extra me-time. 

You won’t be able to do that if you wake up 30 minutes before leaving for the office or dropping your kids at school, and you’ll start your day on a chaotic, hasty note. 

If you have trouble fixing your sleep routine, make sure to read my 7-Step Guide To Fix Sleep Schedule and Reset Circadian Rhythm

9. Practice emotional hygiene

We talk a lot about physical hygiene, but emotional hygiene is just as important, especially for sensitive people who absorb everyone else’s energy like a sponge.

We need to regularly cleanse our emotional space. That could mean journaling at the end of the day to process what you felt. Or doing a short meditation. Or talking it out with a safe person.

If I’ve had a heavy day, especially after emotional conversations, I try to release that energy somehow. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying out loud to myself, “That wasn’t mine to carry.” Or “I cannot control everyone and everything, the only thing I have control over is my own thoughts and actions”. 

As you say something like this, visualize all the tension leaving your body as you exhale.

You don’t have to carry every feeling forever. Let yourself have a system to let it out.

10. Learn how to say no—with kindness but without guilt

I saved one of the hardest ones for last: saying no. I know how uncomfortable it can feel, especially if you’re someone who deeply values harmony and doesn’t want to let people down. 

But HSPs can’t afford to live in constant yes-mode. It’s just not sustainable.

The truth is, every “yes” that isn’t aligned with your energy is a “no” to yourself. And you deserve your own protection.

What helped me is realizing that saying no doesn’t mean being rude. You can say it with love. You can say, “I’d love to support you, but I just don’t have the capacity right now.” Or “That sounds great, but I need some rest today.”

And most of the time, people are okay with it. It’s us who carry the guilt long after they’ve moved on.

If you often find it difficult to say no or turn people down, see my in-depth guide on How to Say NO without Hurting Someone’s Feelings

Closing Thoughts

So those are ten self-care habits that have truly been life-changing for me as a highly sensitive person. If even just one of them resonates with you, I hope you give yourself permission to try it out.

Being sensitive doesn’t mean being weak, it just means you experience the world deeply. And that’s a beautiful thing when you learn how to support yourself through it.

Feel free to check out some of my other guides for HSPs:

• 7-Step Survival Guide for Highly Sensitive People
• How to Handle Socialization as an HSP
• A Simple Morning Routine for Highly Sensitive People
• 11 Signs of a Highly Sensitive Person
• Top 60 Affirmations for Highly Sensitive People

Let me know in the comments which one spoke to you the most, or if you have any other self-care tips that work well for you as an HSP. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Take care of yourself, and I’ll see you in the next one.